BEST Husband in the World

Of course you all know how fantastic my husband is and that he is truly is my prince charming, my hero, my........Edward :) NO!, scratch that, he has the charm and chivalry of Edward mixed in with the warmth(literally, he is one HOT dude) and loyalty of Jacob. I could go on for days listing the many reasons I adore him but the biggest reason that Kevin is the man of my dreams is that he GETS me. He knows what makes me tick. For our 20th anniversary a couple of years ago he took me to my faaaaavortie restaurant and presented me with a little box.....when I opened it, there was a picture of the fantastic camera which I now own and love. He said "I was going to buy you diamond earrings but....I thought you would love this more" HE GETS ME!


This year he asked me to wait a couple of weeks for my birthday gift...I had a feeling that I wouldn't be disappointed......PRESENTING... The Canon 430 EX II Speed flash....... YES!!!!!!!!

This little baby creates PERFECT lighting indoors and captures tiny details outdoors not to mention eliminating unflattering shadows and washout. This is just a random photo I took with no staging and it was just the first shot right out of the box but I want to show you something.

The camera's pop-up flash would have completely washed this out and caused the background to look almost black. It also would have cast a blue-ish tint to the photo losing all of the detail on the Little birdbath,

The speed flash works WITH the camera's exposure setting, in this case an ISO of about 1600, illuminating the subject while at the same time maintaining the true background lighting which gives the picture more depth and dimension as I mentioned revealing more detail on the subject.

BEST husband in the world. If you've known us for any length of time, you understand how important making memories are to us and catching every moment of our one and only pride and joy. Let me tell you, those captured moments just got a lot more vivid.

I was thinking about the old Madonna song "Material Girl" and how I'd always taken pride in proclaiming my lack of interest in...things I'm afraid I'll have to revise my proclamation. I'm not interested in the SAME....things that seem to cause other girls to drool over (although I do love my Brighton) but my camera gear is definitely my material obsession.

Thank you Kevin, not just for the gift but for spending the last 22 years figuring me out. I LOVE YOU!

Now.....Next order of business....shopping for my new lens. My brother and sister-in-law gave me a big chunk of money as my Christmas/birthday gift to put towards my lens. Thank you Jan and Camile...I can't wait to bring it home and figure it out. Hawaii, here we come.

HaPpy Birthday Juany....

Wow, another year has gone by already....you are as gorgeous as always.... HaPpy Birthday Girlfriend.

The face only a mother could love?????

NOT!!!

OK, so maybe I'm totally biased but man.....is this kid cute or what?
I dare you to click on this picture and stare into those eyes. Maybe it's because they look so much like daddy's, but whatever it is, I'm mesmerized. I thank God every day for my little miracle.

MACY

A few pics of one of our beautiful nieces, Macy.













OK, I HAVE to include this….it’s priceless…


HUH?

SUMMING UP LAST YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

So how did we do with last year’s goal setting?

Donna

• Lose weight (REALLY? AGAIN?)
Bahahahahahahahahah………NEXT! No actually, I did manage to lose about 15 pounds but that is not quite what I was aiming for… Half a check.

• Keep a tighter budget and earn from home.
Well, the budget is set and I did go back to work part time in September so I’m going to give this one a check mark,

• Add 2 new friends.
CHECK! Two new fabulous ladies have been added to “the girls” Leslee Meyer and Miss Jody Peerless Green. I just love these girls….both are very funny AND fun to be with.

• Add 5 more favorite books (how many will I need to read to find them?)
CHECK! I read an additional 12 books to my usual reading and absolutely LOVE the Twilight series and also, The Time Traveler’s Wife. GREAT books!

• Purge and organize entire house. Less is more.
Hmmmmm, half a check. I have made huge headwayhere but it’s not as “purged” as I would like it.

• Add thirty new recipes.
GONG!!! I think I’ve added about 5 new recipes that I use regularly. I’ll set a more realistic goal this year.

• Take more photography classes.
Half a check…..I didn’t enroll in an actual class but I’ve spent countless hours reviewing articles and video classes on the internet.


• Show my family and friends how much they mean to me. Deepen relationships.
Again I think I get a half a check for this. I have really attempted to show my immediate and extended family some love by offering support, encouragement and whatever services I have to offer (camera ready) but I could have done more.

• Serve more, complain less.
GONG!!!! I can’t even comment on this right now…..

• And always….try to be a better wife and mom.
Still working on this. I have a feeling this is one of those goals that not only will never be fully realized and probably shouldn’t. I hope it will always be at the top of my list.

Kevin

• Lose weight, get healthier.
Half a check… Stressful year for my honey. He hasn’t had the time to get out and get his muscles working. He has however revised his lunch menu to be healthier.

• Read more books.
GONG!

• Spend more time reading with Gavin.
CHECK! Good job honey. They’ve been reading “Everyday With God” several times a week.

• Get the guitar out and build a new pedal.
Half a check….He’s about 2/3 of the way finished with his pedal building project.

• Teach Gavin how to play the guitar.
GONG!

• Organize the garage (REALLY? AGAIN?)
GONG! GONG! GONG!...What? I’m just sayin’….

• Lay flagstone in the backyard.
MAJOR CHECK! It’s beautiful.

• Add one new good friend.
I don’t think he’s added a new friend but he has definitely deepened relationships with some acquaintances. Great guys too.

• Join a new bible study group.
GONG!


Gavin

• Stick to a better schedule.
CHECK!
• Add 2 new friends
CHECK! Our two little neighborhood friends have become fixtures around here. We love Bryan and Sierra…

• Eat healthier (what mom makes for me.)
CHECK! We got really serious about this when we weighed him one night and found that he’d lost about 4 pounds (he’s only in the 5 percentile as it is).
• Play outside more with friends. Less Wii&DS.

CHECK! The three amigos practically live on their scooters and bikes.

• Swim lessons
GONG! Mom and dad blew it on this one. Not enough time last summer.

HaPpy Birthday Jonah

Hard to believe Jonah Meehan is FIFTEEN today!
Have a great day DUDE! :)

A time for change

From pastor Greg,

The start of a new year is a great opportunity to make changes.

"I heard about an interesting custom celebrated in Italy every New Year’s Eve. As the evening approaches, the streets are cleared. There is no traffic and no pedestrians. Even the policemen take cover.

Then, at the stroke of midnight, every house’s windows fly open to the sound of laughter, music, and fireworks. Each member of the family tosses out old dishes, detested ornaments, hated furniture and a whole catalog of personal possessions that remind them of something in the past year they are determined to wipe out of their minds.

Perhaps some of us need to do that as we say our final goodbye to 2009".

I LOVE the idea of the Italian celebration. There is nothing more liberating and symbolic than physically tossing something unwanted out the door. Of course the problem for me in this is that every year I vow to lose weight...That's a little hard to physically toss out without some painful repercussions due to the fact that its still attached to my body.

Ahhhh yes, it's that time of year again. My next post will be a review the goals we set for ourselves last January and see where we stack up.....honesty time...OUCH!

A New Year Wish